Why_Me

The Effects of Cigarette Smoking There have been several campaigns against cigarette smoking. The various campaigns are geared toward communicating that cigarette smoking ultimately causes death. From what I have seen, however, a threat to one’s health doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason to give up smoking. People somehow disregard the information given to them and go on with their smoking habits, never giving the consequences of smoking another thought. The purpose of this essay is to address four effects of cigarette smoking besides the often mentioned increased risk of developing various cancers and the decreased life expectancy. The effects that will be discussed include, the various stains sustained from smoking, the social isolation inflicted on smokers, the disgusting smell, and the outrageous and ever increasing cost of cigarettes. The first effect of cigarette smoking is one that many smokers and non-smokers tend not to consider, which is the staining of the teeth and hands. Cigarette smoking stains smoker’s teeth to a nasty urine yellow and sometimes even to a repulsive brown. When the cigarette is being smoked it’s held between the smoker’s fingers and causes discoloration of the fingertips as well as the finger nails. Since this effect is long term, most smokers are not aware of the staining smoking will cause when they begin smoking. The truth is cigarette stains are very hard to eliminate once acquired, and it will most likely end up costing the smoker a considerable amount of money to reverse the staining. Discolored teeth and fingers are repulsive; they give an extremely unhygienic image and often make people appear older than they are. The second effect of cigarette smoking is social isolation. Smokers will light up a cigarette anywhere. No-smoking signs never seem to faze them. However, over the past few years many businesses, such as hospitals, restaurants, and night clubs, have become non-smoking environments. These rules are expected to be followed by both the customers and employees of these facilities. This causes many smokers to be socially isolated. Smokers will stand outside in the ever changing weather to get their nicotine fix; while the non-smokers are able to enjoy the comforts of the indoors. A smoker looks foolish standing outside of a non-smoking establishment smoking a cigarette, and also gives the establishment a negative image. With company image being of upmost importance, some corporations have taken their non-smoking policy a step further by banning tobacco products on company property all together. The third effect of cigarette smoking is that fact that the smoke of the cigarette permeates everything around. This is often the most disliked effect of cigarette smoking by non-smokers. Smokers commonly have, smelly hair, stinky clothing, and bad breath. If they smoke indoors or in their vehicles they too will smell of cigarette smoke. The stench of cigarette smoke entrenches in everything around, and it’s incredibly hard to eliminate. The smell of cigarette smoke stays long after a person has quit smoking, and more often than not the smell will never completely fade away. The forth effect of cigarette smoking is the ever increasing cost. The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is around $4.50. If a smoker burns through a pack a day they will end up paying out $31.50 per week, or $1,638 per year. The money wasted on cigarettes could be used for a house payment or a nice vacation. The financial consequences of lighting up stretch far beyond the cost of a pack of cigarettes. Smokers end up paying more for health and life insurance, if they are able to find a company willing to insure them. Smokers will lose money on the resale value of their cars and homes due to the horrendous smell that cigarette smoking leaves behind. Smokers will spend more money trying to correct the consequences of smoking then what smoking cost in the first place. The four effects of smoking addressed in this essay are only a small piece of a very large dilemma facing smokers. To any attentive person these effects are more than enough to realize that smoking is atrocious. Smoking is disastrous to the health and well being of humans. Smoking is appalling to a person’s appearance, both the way they see themselves and the way others see them. Smoking is an awful habit which impacts not only the smoker but everyone involved in the smoker’s life. People can’t possibly be proud to call themselves a, “smoker”. However if you take pleasure in wasting over $1000 a year on cigarettes and enjoy standing outside alone in the ever changing weather looking tremendously foolish, having everything you own reek of cigarette smoke, and your teeth and fingers stained to a nasty urine yellow, then perhaps smoking is the utterly disgusting habit for you.